How we screen suppliers - the promise

We ask all our members to sign up to our promise. This means that all the tour operators and accommodation providers who advertise their vacations on our site have agreed to it and described on their page how they have chosen to implement it locally.

Environment - We ask our members to describe how they address two or more of the environmental sustainability promises that are most important in their local area.

Wildlife
We know our wildlife, are committed to conservation it and encourage guests to follow our lead.

Waste
We free the land, sea and waterways from rubbish and pollution.

Water
We show we understand why water is too precious to waste and, when it rains, we savour every drop.

Buildings
We build, restore and equip using carefully sourced local materials and in a style that tells the cultural or geological story of the landscape.

Transport
We recommend low carbon transport and make the journey as stimulating and sustainable as the stay.

Suppliers
We use suppliers that match our environmental values.

Community - We ask our members to describe how they address two or more of the community sustainability promises that are most important in their local area.

Friends & neighbours
We know where to find all things local and we support/ recommend our neighbours, spreading tourism income to those most in need.

Campaigning for change
We recognise local issues and actively campaign to address them.

Volunteering & charity
We support local projects & people through volunteering, fundraising or charity.

A fair deal.
We offer local people good working conditions, a fair wage, and empower them with training opportunities.

Local crafts and culture
We sustain jobs and cultural diversity by supporting local craft makers and artisans, and promoting cultural attractions.

Traveling with respect
We work to create good relationships between tourists and the local community

What we do not promote on Responsible Travel

There are some tourism activities and attractions that we do not promote on Responsible Travel. Find out more and our reasons behind each one here.

Feedback and monitoring

As well as being a great read and a helpful tool for other travelers, we use our reviews and comments system as part of a monitoring process. This direct feedback gives travelers the opportunity to offer ways for improving the vacations, suggest ideas for better responsible tourism practise as well as raise any questions or queries about the vacation. Because we value our reviews so much we don't edit them, we publish all reviews, and we make sure that we only accept reviews from people who we know have travelled after finding their vacation on responsibletravel.com.

We monitor all the feedback we receive and if an operator isn't doing what they promised we're not afraid to take action. The vast majority of our members receive high praise but sometimes there are issues that the tour operator has not previously been aware of and this feedback can help them to put problem right as soon as possible. We always try to work with the member in question to improve and get back on track. However, we have removed several vacations, and even a few members from Responsible Travel for failing to live up to their promises.

We currently have over 7,000 traveler reviews ranging from 1* to 5* (I am reborn! Simply the best vacation I have ever been on). The average score is 4.5/5. Sometimes tourists and vacation providers have different views about any issues, and in this case we think its only fair that we give the vacation operator a right to reply.